Wearing apparel and method of



Jan. 3, 1939. c. AfJ. SCHAEFER WEARING APPAREL yAND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Nov` 4,

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Patented Jan. 3, 1939 PATENT OFFICE WEARING APPAREL AND METHODI OF MAKING THEI SAME Charles A. J. Schaefer, Baltimore, Md.

Application November 4, 1937, Serial No. 172,785

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to wearing apparel and the methods of making the same, particularly to trousers or pants equipped with waistbands, and to methods of assembling and applying such waistbands.

All trousers except those of the very cheapest type are provided with Waistbands for reasons well known to those engaged in the manufacture of such articles, numerous types of waistbands having been heretofore proposed and used and many methods for assembly of the waistband parts and attachment of these parts to the garment have been suggested. It is now the most common practice for the clothing manufacturer to form a waistband of two strips of material, one strip being of the material from which the garment as a Whole is fabricated and the second strip being of lighter and cheaper material, and comprising a lining. In the application of the waistband by the method now commonly employed, one longitudinal margin of the flat outer band is rst stitched to the margin of a portion of the garment. Next the at margin of the lining strip or curtain is secured by stitching to the free edge or margin of the previously attached outer band. Thereafter the two bands are moved relatively to one another in such manner that the seam connecting them is inside or hidden and the free edge of the lining is then attached to the edge of the garment by a further row of stitches, it thus being necessary to perform three complete stitching operations in the application of the band. Furthermore, in accordance with the method now in common use, and in which method the initial operation is to stitch the outer band to the garment portion, all of the steps of manufacture which must necessarily be performed involve the manipulation of the main body or portion of the garment. Where the garment parts are of substantial size a considerable effort must be expended merely in the handling of the garment and this tends to lower the eciency and working speed of the operator.

In accordance with the present invention an improved method of assembling the two band portions of the waistband and applying them to the edge of a garment is provided, the waistband-portions being iirst assembled together and thereafter applied to the garment edge by a single stitching operation, it being thus unnecessary to handle the garment itself at any time prior to that of actual application of the complete waistband to the garment edge. In accordance with the improved method but two stitching operations are necessary to eiect such assembly, the first being that requisite to secure the two bands together and the second serving to secure the unattached or free margins of these bands to the edge of the garment. As compared with the commonly practiced method of assembling waist- 5 bands, therefore, one stitching operation is eliminated, effecting an additional saving of time and also saving thread.

The nature of the invention will be more precisely described hereinafter and the various steps of the process, and the novel product resulting, may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the outer band of a waistband, indicating the manner in which its longitudinal margins are folded over in carrying out the rst step of the process;

Figure 2 is a similar view of the lining band of the waistband;

Figure 3 is an illustration showing the relative positions of the bands during the rst stitching operation, in which operation one longitudinal margin of the outer band is secured to a longitudinal margin of the lining band;

Figure 4 is a generally similar View but which illustrates a lining band having a belt loop associated therewith;

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the waistband and a garment portion after the band I has been stitched to the garment portion; 3G

Figure 6 illustrates in elevation portions of a partially completed garment to which the waistband has been applied as seen from the outside;

Figure 7 is a similar view showing this portion of the garment in its completed state as seen from the inside; Y

Figure 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Figure 7; and

Figure 9 is a perspective View of the partially completed garment shown in Figure 6. 40

The outer band is indicated at l() and the lining of the waistband at ll. The outer band is fabricated of the same material of which the garment is made in order that the completed garment shall have a uniform appearance. The lin- 45 ing l I is of lighter material and is generally cotton. The outer band of the waistband is customarily delivered to the garment maker in perfectly at condition while the lining band is usually supplied with one margin folded over and stitched in position, as indicated at Il in Figure 2. The rst step in the process is to fold over the parallel longitudinal margins of the outer band, to the approximate extent indicated in Figure l, the band being preferably creased at the lining bands being still face to face.

has previously been folded over, as for instance the margin II', it is only necessary, in order to i carry out the second step of the process, to fold over the remaining margin II2. The folding of the margins of the outer band I and the lining band II are preferably accomplished by passing these bands longitudinally through stationary folding devices, the details of which form no portion of the present invention. It will also be appreciated that the folding over of the margins of the outer band and lining band may be accomplished at points remote from the garment maker and transmitted to him after the folding has been accomplished. For the purpose of clarity, in the further description of the process and completed article those faces of the outer and lining bands adjacent the turned over margins will be designated the back faces of these bands and the opposite faces will be designated the front faces.

The next step in the fabrication of the garment is to secure one longitudinal margin of the outer band to a longitudinal margin of the lining band. In order that this operation may be conveniently effected the outer and lining bands are placed in contiguous relationship, face to face, the turned over margins along adjacent edges of the bands being straightened out and brought into parallelism, as shown in Figure 3, and these margins then permanently secured together by a row of stitches such as indicated at I2, or by other means.

By reason of the preliminary folding and creasing of the waistband and lining band, and the 'stitching step just described, the upper folded edges of the waistband and lining band of the finished garment are now accurately and permanently positioned relative to each other, and the operator, in finishing the waistband applying operation, need not perform the manual folding and creasing of these members heretofore necessary, and which is a time-consuming operation.

Where the trousers are to be provided with belt loops the pieces which are ultimately to be- -ccme such loops are inserted between the mutually engaging margins of the outer and lining bands prior to the application of the stitches I2 and are secured in position by these stitches. In Figure 4 of the drawing such a belt loop member is indicated at I3 and it will be understood that additional members, as many as may be desired, may be similarly positioned and secured. Assuming that the trousers in process of formation are to be equipped with belt loops, a partially completed band such as shown in Figure 4 is first assembled in the manner specified, the outer and Thereafter the outer and lining bands are moved relatively to each other until their free edges are in close proximity to each other and the seam formed by the line of stitching I2, at their attached edges, lies within the envelope thus formed. The margin of a portion I5 of the main body of the garment is then inserted between the folded over free edges of the two bands, as shown clearly in Figure 5, and these folded over edges are then permanently attached to the edge of the garment portion I5 by a single stitching operation, the stitches being indicated at I6, each stitch passing through three thicknesses of cloth, as well as the lining, intermediate the belt loops, and five thicknesses of cloth at the belt loops, the belt loop ends being inserted between the garment and outer band as shown.

The principle of waistband application just above described may be made use of in the fabrication of garments of the outlet type, i. e., garments provided with excess material at the rear seam which may be made use of to enlarge or let out the garment. In Figure 6 part of a garment is sho-wn, spaced garment portions being indicated at Il and I8, which portions are connected by the waistband. The lining member II of the waistband is continuous and bridges the two garment portions I'I and I8, the lining underlying the two spaced outer band members I0, the ends of which terminate, respectively, at approxi- -mately the adjacent edges of the garment portions Ii and I8, which edges are indicated at I1 and I8. In other words, the lining member of the waistband extends continuously across the two garment portions and also bridges the gap between these portions whereas the outer band portions Ili terminate at the edges of these garment members.

The next step in the formation of the garment is to bring the two garment portions I1 and I8 together and to secure these members together by stitching, the seam being indicated at I9 in Figure '7 and being spaced from the edges I1' and i8', the-material between seam I9 and edges I1 and I8 comprising that portion which makes the letting out of the garment possible after the seam I9 has been taken out. In the same movement which brings the garment parts I'I and I8 together in the specified relationship, the outer bands I8 are brought into like relationship and secured by the same seam I9, free ends of the outer bands I E! being indicated at |83 in Figure 8. During this movement that portion of the lining band II which previously bridged the garment parts Il and I8 as shown in Figure 6 becomes looped, as shown in Figure 8, the loop of the lining band enveloping or encircling the free ends ID3 of the outer bands I8 and hiding these free ends, particularly the edges thereof which are simply cut edges and hence unattractive in appearance. The resulting garment as viewed from the inside adjacent the outlet has the appearance of that illustrated in Figure 7, the edges of the outer or more decorative band not being visible from the inside and this portion of the garment therefore presenting a finished appearance.

By following out the method above described substantial savings are made in the fabrication of garments of the waistband type, an operator being enabled to accomplish a greater amount of work in a given time than when practicing any other method of band assembly. Furthermore a single needle sewing machine is all that is necessary in order to carry out the method or process, a fact of considerable importance to the operator who is enabled to work more rapidly with a machine of this type than with one of the double needle type such as are required in order to effectively carry out various other methods for the application of waistbands which have been heretofore suggested.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. The method of making garments which comprises folding over the longitudinally extending margins of the outer band of a waistband and permanently creasing the same at the fold, folding over the longitudinally extending margins of a lining band and permanently creasing the same at the fold, unfolding one margin of the outer band and one margin of the lining band and stitching said unfolded margins together with said margins in face to face relationship, relatively folding said bands about their attached margins into back to back relationship, positioning the margin of a garment between the free folded edges of said bands, and securing said edges simultaneously to said garment margin by a stitching operation.

2. The method of assembling garments of the type having waistbands provided with outlets which comprises folding over the longitudinally extending margins of two outer waistband portions, folding over the longitudinally extending portions of a lining band, unfolding one margin of each of said waistband portions and said lining band and stitching said margins together in face to face relationship, said outer waistband portions being spaced longitudinally of said lining band, folding said waistband portions and said lining band about their attached margins into back to back relationship, attaching said outer portions and said lining band to the aligned margins of two spaced garment portions, the adjacent ends of said outer waistband portions terminating at the adjacent edges of said garment portions, the lining band bridging said garment portions, and bringing together in face to face relationship the end portions of the outer band and the adjacent margins of the garment portions and stitching said band and portions at such points that an outlet is provided, the lining band enveloping and concealing the ends of the outer band portions.

CHARLES A. J. SCHAEFER. 

